POLK COUNTY, Fla. — People who live in Polk County are closely monitoring Potential Tropical Cyclone Four brewing out in the Caribbean.
The National Weather Service issued a Tropical Storm Watch for Polk County with Lakeland, Winter Haven and Bartow being affected. Bartow resident Justin Willis was at the public works site filling up sandbags Friday afternoon.
“Florida is always unpredictable so it’s better to be prepared, than not be prepared,” Willis said.
Avon Sellers said his son’s mother’s house floods badly every time it rains.
“The road that goes into her house, usually floods about 1.5 feet. It comes up to the doors of the car. It scares me with her being down there with him,” said Sellers.
Sellers did not want to wait until the last minute to get prepared. He filled ten sandbags with the help of his son Jaxson.
Sandbags are being distributed at the Bartow fire station, Friday and Saturday from 7am – 7pm.
“Polk County is really strong about that. They do help out with sandbags as much as they can. Last hurricane that came through, they ran out, so we were having to get them other places,” Sellers said.
A Tropical Storm Watch means tropical storm-force winds are possible in the area within the next 48 hours. It is raised to a Tropical Storm Warning if conditions are expected within 36 hours.
NOAA Hurricane Hunters, based in Lakeland are flying into the weather system, sending back data to the National Hurricane Center in real time.
“They are midway through the first flight into this storm. To figure out what’s going on inside it, to help forecasters to really be able to define that forecast and figure out the best track,” said Jonathan Shannon, spokesperson for NOAA Aircraft Operations Center.
Polk County is making sandbags available throughout the county on Saturday, August 3, from 8am-5:30pm.
Sandbag site locations are:
- Mulberry/South Lakeland – Loyce E. Harpe Park, 500 W. Carter Road
- Lakeland – 8970 N. Campbell Road, Lakeland
- Fort Meade – 1061 NE 9th St., Fort Meade
- Frostproof – 350 County Road 630A, Frostproof
- Auburndale – 1701 Holt Road, Auburndale
- Dundee – 805 Dr. Martin Luther King St. SW, Dundee
- Poinciana Park – 5109 Allegany Road, Kissimmee 34759
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